Mitchell & Beale
by bechloehuh
Summary: Mitchell & Beale follows Boston detective Beca Mitchell and chief medical examiner Chloe Beale. They are best friends; complete opposites who share brilliant chemistry and a strong working relationship that helps them solve some of Boston's most notorious crimes. AU fic based on the TNT crime/drama Rizzoli & Isles. Pairings: Beca/Chloe, Aubrey/Jesse
1. Chapter 1

**Summary: Mitchell & Beale follows Boston detective Beca Mitchell and chief medical examiner Chloe Beale. They are best friends; complete opposites who share brilliant chemistry and a strong working relationship that helps them solve some of Boston's most notorious crimes. AU fic based on the TNT crime/drama Rizzoli & Isles.**

**Pairings: eventual Beca/Chloe and Aubrey/Jesse, also some Jane/Maura**

**Rated: M for violence, language and trigger warnings such as rape, self-harm etc. And maybe some sexual content in later chapters.**

**A/N: So I decided to go ahead with this after a lot of people agreed that it would be a good idea. I love the TV show Rizzoli & Isles, and hopefully I can do this some justice, because I'm pretty excited about writing it. I also have the wonderful and talented Rey aka romeothewriter to help me along the way.**

**There will be a new crime every chapter (Just think of it as one chapter = one episode.) If you don't watch Rizzoli & Isles, then it probably won't matter because you won't need any knowledge of that to be able to enjoy this. I will also be bringing in some Rizzoli & Isles characters, including Jane and Maura. And just for clarification, Jane and Maura are married, yes, but they don't work together at BPD, although they do pop up a few times to help solve some crimes. ****But other than that, I'm just gonna give you a quick overview of the characters (then you can get to reading it lol)**

**(Also, I made some edits and stuff to go with this story, and I'm actually really proud of them, because they took me quite a long time haha. So if you wanna check them out then they're posted on my tumblr.)**

**Disclaimer: I do not claim to own any of the main characters mentioned in this story. I do not own Pitch Perfect, or Rizzoli & Isles, I only own the plots. I also will be using some random phone numbers/addresses/people's names in this, which I have made up myself. I'm not particularly sure they are real, as I've just made them up off of the top of my head, so apologies if they _are_ actually real.**

* * *

**Character overview**

**Beca Mitchell - A Boston Police Detective working at BPD. She is grounded by her best friend Chloe Beale, and they always seem to connect on a level that nobody, including them sometimes, understand. She's twenty seven years old, an orphan, and really good friends with the legendary, Detective Jane Rizzoli. She often sees her as the mother she never had, and also likes to see Jane's mother, Angela Rizzoli, as the cool (yet embarrassing) Aunt she never had as well. She's a guarded person, and the only people who understand her are Jane and Chloe. She tends to resort to sarcasm in many situations, and not many people get her humor.**

**Chloe Beale - The Commonwealth of Massachusetts' Chief Medical Examiner and a forensic expert working at the Boston Police Department with Beca. She's twenty eight years old. People say she is the double of her adopted mother, Maura Isles. (who is the wife of Jane Rizzoli.) She's a smart, loving woman, who is always willing to help a friend out. People say she has no boundaries, and even though she's the sciencey-kind-of-smart, she sometimes doesn't understand when people are being sarcastic; Beca being an example.**

**Luke Bryant - Beca's former/original partner and unofficial mentor. He's thirty one years old, and likes to see Beca as his adopted sister. He will drop whatever he is doing on a moment's notice to rescue an animal (don't let the tattoo's and muscles fool you, he's a _huge_ softie), and he enjoys listening to music and playing his guitar whenever he's not working on an important case. He is also good friends with Aubrey and Jesse, although he knows that Jesse is jealous of his and Aubrey's close friendship.**

**Jesse Swanson - Beca's new partner. A twenty six year old genius when it comes to computers and technology. Even though his day job is solving crimes, he is terrified of dead bodies. He is very protective of Beca and stands by her like a loyal, tough partner. He loves movies, unlike Beca, and he's always waiting for his typical movie-ending to happen (particularly with his boss, Aubrey.) He sometimes get's into little spats with his and Beca's partner, Luke, but apart from that, he's good friends with the man, and sees him as a big brother.  
**

**Aubrey Posen - The control-freak, stuck up lieutenant of the Boston Police Department's Homicide Unit. She is good friends with Chloe Beale, and doesn't seem to get on that well with Beca, although she_ is_ the woman's boss. She always denies her crush on Beca's partner, Jesse, however she always seems to bend the rules _just_ for him. She's good friends with Luke, and she can admit that she does find him hot, but she only has her eyes set on one person.**

**Benji Mitchell - Beca's younger brother who is seemingly less experienced when it comes to Detective work. He looks up to Beca, but does not like the feeling of being caught in her shadow, especially because he wants to make his own way on the police force. Just like Jane and Angela, he is very protective of Beca, even though he is three years younger than her. He is good friends with the police officers, Unicycle and Donald, who also work at BPD. And he also likes to practise magic tricks in his spare time.**

* * *

**So there's the overviews, and of course, a few other Pitch Perfect and Rizzoli & Isles characters will be popping up throughout the story. Anyway, here's the first chapter, and I hope you enjoy it! (And sorry for such a long author's note haha)**

* * *

**Chapter 1**

_**"Please stop this!" a deep voice yells from an empty warehouse as he tries to shake himself free from the chair he is currently tied to. He pulls and tugs at the rope around his wrists, but to no avail. It won't budge. He tries to move his legs as well, but they too, are tied to the chair.**_

_**"Someone help me!" he shouts as loud as he can, feeling more and more anxious by the second. He can't see anything, except pitch black, and all he recognizes is the smell of the empty room he's been left in. He pulls at the binds around his wrist again, ignoring how the rope is digging in to his skin whenever he tries to get himself free.**_

_**However, he stops struggling when he hears footsteps approaching.**_

_**"Hello?" he asks in a panicked voice, not being able to see who it is due to the blindfold across his eyes. But from the sound of their footsteps, he's pretty sure it's a woman in high heels. "Who's there?!"**_

_**"Jason, Jason, Jason." a female voice snickers as she approaches the man.**_

_**"Who are you?" he asks, pulling at the rope again.**_

_**"You don't need to know who I am." she whispers as she leans in until she's inches away from his face. She can smell the alcohol in his breath as he puffs out angry, heavy breaths of air. She steps away, not wanting to be near him and she lifts a handgun up to point it at his heart. "You just need to know that I hate you, and I hope you rot in hell."**_

_**His mouth opens, as he goes to ask her who she is again, but he's cut off by the sound of a trigger being pulled, and a hot, metal bullet piercing in to his skin. He screams out as his chair flies back, and blood starts to seep from the wound in his chest. He whimpers as he starts to lose consciousness, and the last thing he sees is the woman who pulls the blindfold off of him, before everything goes black.**_

* * *

**_10 hours later.._**

Beca sighs as she walks into the police station, adjusting the collar of her white shirt. She tugs at the bottom of her blazer and absentmindedly checks if her gun is still in her holster and her badge is still in her pocket. Her eyes sting and she brings up both hands to rub her tired, dark eyes. As she walks through security, she smiles at her brother, Benji, who is standing at the entrance with two other police officers; Donald and Unicycle. Everyone greets her as she drags her feet into the cafe, and she looks at her watch to see that it's 6:23am.

"Hey Angela." she smiles a small smile as she leans one elbow against the counter, reaching her other hand up to run it through her tussled, yet perfectly styled hair.

"Good morning, Beca. Coffee?" Angela smiles, holding up an empty coffee cup as she watches the brunette yawn tiredly. Beca doesn't even need to answer, knowing that Angela will pour her one anyway. (Probably due to the fact that she looks like a worn-out zombie right now.)

The brunette takes the cup of coffee from Angela, thanks her with a mumbled "you're a saint" and walks over to the table where the sugar, milk and spoons are. She yawns again, squeezing her eyes shut as she picks up three sachets of sugar. First she adds milk, then pours in the sugar before she picks a plastic spoon up and stirs it thoroughly.

"Someone looks tired." a voice says from behind her, and she turns around to see a redhead standing in front of her. As usual, she looks like she's going to a fashion show. No surprise there. She's wearing a dark blue dress, blue heels and a beige trench coat. Her hair is in loose curls, hanging off her shoulders, and of course, she's wearing a wide, bright smile, big enough to blind anybody.

"Ugh why are you smiling, Chloe? It's so early." Beca mumbles as she turns back around to pick her coffee up off of the counter.

"Well, it's a reflex action. When you smile, your body releases endorphins-"

"-Oh no, nope. No way. Too early. _Way_ to early."

"Too early for what, Beca?"

"Your smart, science talk. At least let me get some caffeine in me before you start talking to me about endolphins and shit."

The redhead lets out a soft giggle and Beca frowns. "It's _endorphins_, Beca. Not endolphins."

"Whatever."

"Hey Chloe." The two fall silent as a tall man in uniform approaches them with two cups of coffee in his hand. He holds out one of the coffees for Chloe, who takes it with a smile.

"Thanks, Tom." she says, and he smiles at her while his eyes rake down her body, landing on her chest area. Beca clears her throat awkwardly, shooting a fake smile at Tom as he looks at her.

"Oh hey, Beca." he greets in a friendly yet slightly annoyed tone as he turns back to Chloe. "I'll uh, I'll see you around?"

The redhead almost swoons at the man's charming smile; she would have done if it wasn't for Beca impatiently tapping her foot at the side of her. "See you." she smiles, and watches as he walks away confidently. She sighs, as if in a daydream as she still looks towards the other side of the room, even when he's gone. As she turns back around, she sees Beca with an even more irritated look on her face.

"What?" she asks innocently as she takes a sip of her coffee, grimacing when she notes that it hasn't got fat-free milk in it.

"When are you two just gonna do the deed already?" Beca asks in an annoyed tone as she starts to walk out of the cafe and back where the security and head desk is, with Chloe following behind her.

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"_Really? _He _so_ likes you. And you're.. smitten by him. It's rather disturbing if you ask me."

"He does _not_ like me."

"Chloe, I could totally see him eyeing up your cla-boobies."

"Claboobies?" Chloe smirks, adjusting the collar of her coat.

"Shut up, I started to say cleavage but I mixed it with boobies by accident."

The redhead laughs, pushing Beca's shoulder as they carry on walking down the corridor to the elevator. On the way, the redhead throws the full cup of coffee in a nearby bin, and the brunette looks at her, while still maintaining her speed as they walk to the elevator. But as Beca looks at Chloe questioningly, as if asking her why she threw the coffee away, the redhead seems to read her mind.

"Wrong milk." she shrugs, and the brunette nods, knowing full well that Chloe has low-fat milk in her coffee, with one and a half sugars.

Before they reach the elevator, Beca's phone vibrates in her pocket, which is then followed by Chloe's pinging in her bag. The brunette takes her phone out and reads over the message, which is from Jesse.

"Looks like we've got ourselves a case already. The _joys._" she resorts sarcastically, and the two then make their way down to where Jesse told them to meet him and Luke at the crime scene.

* * *

They take Beca's car, a black BMW 530d (or her 'Black Beauty' as she likes to call it) and they make it to the abandoned warehouse in a matter of minutes.

"Geesh, what happened here?" Beca asks as she and the redhead approach the dead body laying in a puddle of blood on the ground. Jesse and Luke come up behind Beca as they watch Chloe kneel down beside the body.

"Looks like a shot to the heart." Luke answers with a shrug, hands in his pockets as he watches Chloe do her thing.

"I still don't understand how she does that." Jesse nods his head towards the redhead who's inspecting the wound in the man's chest. He shakes his head as he watches Chloe pull her camera out and take some pictures of his face, where he's been shot, and other parts of his body which look to be injured.

"Just because you're a pussy when it comes to dead bodies, Jesse." Luke teases, and the man rolls his eyes as he taps Beca on the shoulder, signalling for her to follow him.

"What's up?" she asks as she watches Luke kneel down next to Chloe to see if she needs any help.

"The guy's name is Jason Kay," he says as he holds up the dead man's wallet. He pulls out his driver's licence and hands it to Beca, who reads over it quickly.

**Name: Jason Kay**  
**Address: 112 Main Street, Apt. 13B, NY**  
**D.O.B: 5.3.1992  
Sex: M  
Eyes: Blue  
Heightt: 5'10"  
Expires: 12.31.2021**

"He was only twenty one years old." the brunette sighs, shaking her head at the man's misfortune.

"Check this out." Jesse says and Beca watches him as he pulls a student card from his wallet. "NYU. Looks like he was a smart kid."

She looks over the address on the driver's license again and notices that it's only minutes away from where they are now. "You wanna.." she trails off, nodding towards the driving licence in her hand, and Jesse doesn't even need to ask what she means to know that they have to go to his house to see if his family are at home.

* * *

"Doesn't look like anybody is in." Jesse says as they approach the house. There's no cars in the driveway and no sign of any movement or sound in the house.

_**Knock, knock, knock!**_

Jesse and Beca both watch as a little girl, who looks to be about five years old, opens the door. She looks up at them as she shyly sucks her finger in her mouth, and Beca kneels down in front of her.

"Hey, kiddo.. Is mommy or daddy at home?" and just as she asks, a tall brunette woman wearing a bathrobe approaches the door with worried eyes.

"Can I help you?" she asks, picking her daughter up and holding the door open.

"Hi, my name is Detective Beca Mitchell and this is my partner Detective Swanson, we're looking for the parents of Jason Kay?"

"That's me. It's uh-just me, his father died when he was young."

"May we come in Mrs Kay?" Jesse asks with a small, sympathetic smile, and instantly, the woman seems to know that something is wrong.

"Call me Julie." she says as she moves aside to let them in. She motions for her daughter to go upstairs, and the little girl obeys without hesitance, bouncing upstairs up to her room. Beca and Jesse both step into the house, and they can smell the faint smell of lasagna coming from the kitchen. They walk into the dining room, and see that the woman must have just finished cooking dinner, as the table is set out neatly for four people.

"What's happened?" the woman asks, but before either of them can say anything, a blonde woman walks into the room, her heels clacking on the tiled floor.

"Lucy, this is Detective Beca Mitchell and her partner Detective Swanson." Julie says, motioning towards them both. The blonde eyes them questioningly, and Beca could of swore she saw a flash of worry in the small smile that she offered them.

"We're from the Boston Police Department's Homicide Unit. We-"

"Homicide?" Julie interrupts with wide-eyes.

"Mrs Kay, we're sorry to say that we.. we found your son dead at the abandoned warehouse a few blocks from here."

"Dead?" she asks with a shaky voice. "Jason.. Jason can't be _dead. _He's- he's ready to graduate. He.. officers, you must have the wrong person, my Jason can't be dead."

Beca and Jesse both watch as Julie breaks down crying, and Lucy holds her in her arms as tears start to stream down her own face.

That seemed to go on for a few minutes before the two women calmed down. Beca then went on to tell them both about what had happened, and the blonde woman, Lucy, confirmed that she was his girlfriend, and they were waiting for him to come home from Uni, hence the four places set at the table. He was due to come home last night, but he never did, so they both just presumed that he had been out with his friends, enjoying his last days as a senior.

"Do either of you know if Jason had gotten into any trouble at University? Anyone who disliked Jason, or-"

"There was this boy, Kyle Peters," Lucy speaks up with a shaky voice. "He was always jealous of Jason, because he was so smart. Jason would always go to football games, and parties and stuff, yet he always got brilliant results on his test, without even having to study." she wipes a tear out of the corner of her eye as Jesse makes notes on his notepad. "One day Kyle, approached him and asked him to swap test results with him, just so he could get at least one A. But Jason said no and Kyle.. Kyle beat him up. Since then, they've always been at each other's throats."

"Okay, thank you. Do you have Kyle's address?"

The woman nods, and gives Beca Kyle's dorm room number and building, and the two detectives thank her before making there way out of the house. Before they reach the car though, Beca is thrown off guard by someone hugging her from behind. She turns around to see the little girl from earlier with a sad look on her face. The girl looks up, and Beca kneels down in front of her again.

"Pwease get the bad mister who killed my big broffer." she whispers in a timid voice, and Beca instantly pulls her in for a tight hug.

"I promise, we'll catch him." she says, and the little girl nods as she wipes a tear from her eye. She runs back to the house, and she watches with Julie and Lucy as Beca and Jesse drive away.

* * *

Beca grunts as yet another college kid wolf-whistles at her as she walks through the campus with Jesse and Luke. The two had gone back to the warehouse, where Chloe and Luke were just finishing up, along with some other police officers and forensic scientists. Chloe had gone back to the police station to look more into the dead body as they hadn't found the bullet anywhere near the crime scene, which means that it was still in Jason's body. Luke decided to tag along with Beca and Jesse as they went to find out more about this Kyle guy.

"I fucking hate college kids." she mutters with a frown as they approach the correct dorm building.

"You were one once, Beca." Jesse says, and feigns hurt when Beca punches him in the arm.

They make it to the second floor, where Kyle's dorm is, and approach the door with haste.

_**Knock, knock, knock!**_

"Boston Police, open up!" Luke yells, and Beca rolls her eyes at how dramatic the British man is being.

The door is answered by a small Asian boy, and he eyes them with tired eyes.

"Kyle!" he yells, his eyes locked with Beca's, and the brunette frowns until she hears the sound of the toilet flushing.

Kyle walks out of the bathroom as he approaches his roommate, laughing to himself. "Dude, that curry we had last night was-oh.. hi." he mumbles when he notices the three detectives at the door.

"Kyle Peters?"

"Who's asking?"

"Boston Homicide Unit, that's who's asking. You're coming with us." she grabs his arm as she starts to escort him out of the room.

"Hey, lady, you can't do that!" he yells, snatching his arm away from Beca.

"Lady? Dude, I'm no lady." The brunette frowns as she hear Jesse mutter a "it's true" under his breath. She shoots him a warning glare, and Kyle laughs lightly, but sobers up when he feels Beca's hand grip his arm again.

"Get off me!"

"Okay listen here _punk_," she spits out, stepping forward towards him until his back hits the wall. "See this badge?" she asks rhetorically, pulling the badge from where it's attached on her belt and holding it up in front of Kyle's face as her other hand rests against the wall at the side of his head. "This badge gives me authority, okay? You know what authority means? It means that if I wanna take you in to the police station for questioning, then I fucking will, and there ain't anything you can do about it. Now you could threaten me by saying that you're gonna call your lawyer, but let's be real dude. You can't even afford one, because your parents are scraping up all the money they have for you to come to this university, and you're just wasting it by partying every other night and being a total asshole to boys such as Jason Kay. Am I right?"

Kyle doesn't move, his eyes wide in fear as he notices Beca's nostrils flaring in anger. She pulls away from him, nods to Jesse and Luke, who don't need to think twice before they each grab one of the boy's arms and follows Beca down the hall.

* * *

Beca rubs the back of her neck as she walks into the autopsy room where Chloe is currently inspecting Jason Kay's dead body. She takes her coat off and hangs it over one of the chairs. The redhead doesn't seem to notice Beca at first, but almost jumps out of her skin when she hears Beca make a noise similar to a zombie from behind her.

"Jesus Christ, Beca!" she frowns as she clutches her heart as a reflex. Beca laughs out loudly, and Chloe picks up her pen and throws it at the brunette who dodges it by an inch. "It's not funny, you know I hate zombies!"

"You work on dead people, where's the logic in that?" Beca breathes out, unable to control her laughter at Chloe's reaction.

"Dead bodies don't make zombie noises, hence the word _dead._"

"What are zombies then?"

"Zombies are _living_ dead. There's a difference."

"Okay you weirdo." Beca snickers, leaning both elbows on the table where Chloe's paperwork is. "So whatcha found?"

After Beca, Jesse and Luke had taken Kyle in to the police station, they took him into the interrogation room. And after loads of questions about what he had to do with Jason, they let him go. The only information they got out of him was that Jason had cheated on Lucy with Kyle's girlfriend, Bailey. He told them that at first, he wanted Jason dead, because of what he did, but he told them that he'd never kill anybody. Beca thought it was pretty pointless, but at least they got that out of him though. However, she had gotten a text from Chloe after she finished interrogating Kyle, which had told her that she had found some important information.

"Take a look for yourself." Chloe smiles, waiting for Beca's reaction.

Beca opens the document to see that Chloe has found some information on the bullet which was embedded just next to the man's heart. She skims over the text, reading that the bullet belonged to a 9mm fire-arm handgun, and that it had been shot from about a meter away. She reads the bottom of the page, and notes that Chloe has found some fingerprints on the bullet.

"Chloe, are these DNA results correct?" Beca asks, standing up straight and looking down at Chloe who was leaning over the dead body and inspecting the wound.

"Yes, that's why I called you in!" the redhead smiles, proud of herself for finding out who the killer is.

"Oh my God, you're a genius, I could just kiss you!" Beca yells, closing the file, throwing it on the desk and grabbing her coat off of the chair.

"You go get that killer!" she hears Chloe yell behind her as she runs out of the autopsy room to find Jesse and Luke.

* * *

"Okay, you ready?" Beca asks, leaning against the wall next to the front door as she clutches her gun to her chest. Jesse and Luke both nod, and Luke knocks on the door before he takes a step back. A few minutes pass, and there's no answer.

"Boston Police, open up!" Luke yells as he knocks again and yet again he earns an eye roll from Beca at his melodrama. There's no answer once again, and Beca points two fingers towards Jesse, and then points them towards the back yard. Jesse obeys straight away, turning on his heal and carefully making his way towards the back entrance. Beca and Luke both turn the other way, and climb over the small fence into the backyard.

They see a blonde woman hanging out some washing with earphones in, and they smile in relief when they notice it's the right person.

Beca approaches her and rips her earphones out of her ear, and the woman gasps as she turns around to see a Beca with her gun pointing at her.

"Evening sweetheart." Beca smirks as she lowers the gun and approaches the woman from behind, pulling her handcuffs from her belt.

"What are you doing?!" the woman screams, trying to pry herself free from Beca's grip..

"You're under arrest for the murder of Jason Kay. You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to an attorney. If you cannot afford an attorney, one will be provided for you. Do you understand the rights I have just read to you?"

"He deserved to die! He cheated on me! You can't do this!" the woman screams again, and Beca winces as the woman's loud voice in her ear.

"Actually, I can. Because next time, you should think about wearing gloves before you kill your boyfriend, Lucy."

* * *

Chloe stops to look at her reflection in the window of the pub that she is meeting Beca at. She takes a deep breath as she moves a few strands of hair out of her face, even though her hair looks perfect anyway. She opens the door to the pub and instantly sees Beca slouched in their dedicated booth, with a beer in her hand.

"Busy day." Chloe smiles as she sits down opposite Beca. She shrugs her coat off, and Beca gives her a tired smile.

"Chloe, why do you smile so much? Actually, no. Don't answer that."

"What, why?"

"Because I'm too tired for a lesson on how smiling reduces stress, or helps your blood sugar level decrease." she sighs, taking a swig of her beer. She looks at Chloe, who still has a smile on her face, and she can't help but smile back.

_**What? The woman is contagious!**_

"You want a beer?" Beca asks, but Chloe shakes her head instantly.

"No thank you, I'll have a white wine though."

"Of course, milady." Beca smiles as she flags the waiter down. He approaches them with a smile, his hands tucked behind his back as he asks them what they wish to order.

"White wine for the smiler, and another beer for me please."

The waiter nods, and Beca and Chloe both talk aimlessly as they wind down from their hectic day.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary: Mitchell & Beale follows Boston detective Beca Mitchell and chief medical examiner Chloe Beale. They are best friends; complete opposites who share brilliant chemistry and a strong working relationship that helps them solve some of Boston's most notorious crimes. AU fic based on the TNT crime/drama Rizzoli & Isles.**

**Pairings: eventual Beca/Chloe and Aubrey/Jesse, also some Jane/Maura**

**Rated: M for violence, language and trigger warnings such as rape, self-harm etc. And maybe some sexual content in later chapters.**

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**A/N: So first of all I'd like to thank you all for the feedback on that first chapter, I'm really happy that you all liked it. Secondly, like I said in the first chapter, I'm not an expert on murders and like I also said, some things will be inaccurate, I know that. So sorry if I get a few things wrong, but yeah, I'm not that much of a perfectionist when it comes to little details.**

**This chapter was written by Rey (romeothewriter), and it's fricken awesome, so make sure to leave a review praising him because he deserves it. I'll be writing the next chapter, which hopefully shouldn't be too long, but in the meantime, we hope you enjoy this chapter. And all reviews/favorites/follows are greatly appreciated!**

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**Chapter 2**

**_"Kill him! Kill him! He's going to destroy you! All that you've worked for! All that you've done to get here! He wants to take this away from you!"  
_**_"No, I - he wouldn't-"  
_**_"Kill him! Tear him to shreds."_**

_"Hey, are you okay? You seem a bit out of it tonight."_

_"Huh? No, I'm okay. Just a bit stressed."_

_"Hey, I know I've been slipping on my word lately, but I swear. I'm gonna work it out."_

_"No, I know. I trust you."_

_"Would you like a drink?"_

_"Yeah, sure."_

_He got up, moving around to the kitchen. His guest did as well, reaching for something behind the shelf. He came behind his host, the item lofted over his head._

_"Hey I was - oomph!"_

**_"I did it. I killed him. I-"  
"That isn't GOOD enough! Tear him apart! The way he planned to tear YOU apart! Do it! Now! Do it! Now!"  
"OKAY!"  
_****_"Not here! He doesn't deserve the warmth when he planned to leave you in the cold!"_**

* * *

Her hand shot out from beneath the sheets, feeling as if she had only been asleep several minutes before the call.

"Mitchell," she breathed into the receiver.

"Mitchell, we need you now," came Luke's voice. "Chris Columbus Park."

"On my way."

She pulled herself out of bed begrudgingly, blindly grabbing for her pants and a shirt. Twenty minutes later, she pulled up to the chaos of yellow tape, dark uniforms, and red and blue lights illuminating the desolate waterfront park and the bathroom building. The brunette slid out of her car, navigating tiredly through the officers. Benji met her at the entrance.

"What do we got?" she asked the younger, and he winced.

"You might wanna take a look," Benji replied. "Jesse won't even enter the room."

She rolled her eyes. "Wouldn't wanna get blood on his skirt."

She entered the men's bathroom now, following the trail of uniforms moving in and out of it. Jesse stood against the wall, perspiration forming on his brow and upper lip despite the chill air and fog. Beca smirked, patting his shoulder before moving into the room in question. She found Luke standing with Donald, observing the scene while Chloe inspected the body on the floor beside the last stall. Beca's eyes snapped wide open, sleep long forgotten as she took in the scene before her.

"Holy shit!" she breathed, capturing the attention of her counterparts.

"There you are, Mitchell," Luke greeted, patting her shoulder. "Fancy the decorations, Mate?"

"You're kidding me, right? This is - this is-"

"Barbaric?" Chloe filled in, neglecting a glance back at the detective. "Brutish? Savage? Diabolical? Fiendish? Heinous? Infernal? Vi-"

"Okay, Doctor Wikipedia, I get it."

"Actually, Wikipedia would be an invalid comparison to my-"

"Beale!" Beca rubbed at her temples now. "It's just - too early."

"It's never too early, Detective Mitchell. It's already six thirty a.m. Did you know that early in the morning, our brains-"

"What's the rundown?" Beca now clapped her hands together to digress as Luke snickered, and the brunette elbowed his side. "What do we have?"

"First, we're looking at decapitation and dismemberment. It was something very sharp, like maybe a-"

"Samurai sword?" Luke quipped, and he and Beca nodded, pensive looks gracing their features.

"Yes, actually. That would fit perfectly among - _other_ things. It was a clean cut except for the legs. Can you come here please, Detective Mitchell?" Beca moved over, crouching beside the doctor. "If you notice here, there is tearing at the knee. Tendons and skin are uneven, and the bone is jagged. Therefore-"

"They were torn off?"

"Yes, I would assume that the first several lacerations may have dulled the blade, and it did not cut straight through the leg. The killer then proceeded to yank them off himself."

"Hmm, fair enough. Psychopath."

"Aside from that, no defensive wounds, and the COD is actually blunt force trauma to the superior temporal line where the skull was fractured. He began hemorrhaging, and he died rather quickly."

"So was he killed here?"

Chloe glanced at her. "That is yet to be determined. My initial theory would be negative. There is a blood trail leading in here, and though there is a lot of blood here, he may have been dismembered here but not killed." Beca now noted the blotches of blood from the door. "However, that may have been dripping off of the weapon on the way out."

"T.O.D?"

"Within the last twelve hours."

"Who found him?"

"City worker," Benji now stated from the doorway. "He's outside. He comes to check the parks on this side of town each morning and unlock bathrooms such as this one. These buildings are supposed to be locked down from ten p.m. to six a.m. He had to check the aquarium, but he passes by here first coming from the north. He saw the door open when he arrived."

"Okay, Ben, why don't you take that?"

He instantly lit up. "I can interrogate him?"

"Yeah, just get the basics."

The man nodded enthusiastically, reaching for his pen and pad. "You got it."

"Do we have identification?" she asked Chloe now.

"None on him. His clothes were discarded. He was bare."

"Okay. Hey, Swanson!"

Jesse now appeared in the doorway, eyes on his shoes. "Uh, yeah."

"Stop being a priss and get on identifying the guy. We'll process the rest of the scene and meet you back at the precinct."

"Got it."

* * *

Soon, Chloe returned to the lab, the body being extracted and moved with her. Beca, Benji and Luke remained on the scene, inspecting each path leading to and from the bathroom.

"Okay," the brunette sighed. "The blood trail ends here, and it looks like he may have wiped the weapon on the grass here."

"Unless the guy was bagged, and he dragged it through here."

"Exactly, so that's still unclear."

"The city worker said he saw no one, but it was still dark," Benji informed them. "He came from the north."

"Okay, so if this is the exit, he was headed west. If not, he _wasn't _going north."

"Well, that narrows it down," Luke sighed.

"No shit. Alright. Let's get back to base. See if they have an ID."

Luke and Beca were the last of the homicide unit to leave the scene, allowing local police to tend to the mess work with Benji remaining on site. When they reached the precinct, Jesse awaited them.

"Okay, so we have a positive ID," he assured them, gesturing to the large screen. "Jason Craig, 48 years old, works at UPS packaging and sorting. We got him on his prints. He was picked up ten years ago for possession of narcotics with intent to sell and the possession of an unregistered firearm. He was also a big gambler. He graduated from Georgetown, had a private practice, and he allegedly passed out some bad scripts to pay off a debt. After his suspension and ultimate loss of his license, he was caught up with the narcs and pistol. Worked out a deal with the D.A., did a year upstate, came back, been working for the brown ever since."

"Okay, so he's cleaned up then?" Beca questioned.

"That's right. No offenses since that one-year bid."

"Okay, immediate family?"

"Well, he has a son. Donald and Unicycle are contacting him. Son's nineteen. He was a student at Cathedral High and is now attending Boston College."

"Really? And the mother?"

"Deceased. Committed suicide when the kid was twelve."

"Jesus Christ, poor kid. Are there any other similar cases in the area?"

"No, nothing that caught our attention. I mean, this is pretty brutal even here in Boston."

"Yeah, it looked like a mob hit if we're being honest."

"Could have been. Who knows?"

"Yo," Donald now called into the office. "The kid's here."

"Great," Beca sighed. "Who's coming with me?"

"I got it," Luke huffed.

"Jesse, take Ben and Donald, go talk to the guy's employer and coworkers."

The two made their way into the interrogation room where a young man with sandy blonde hair and a deep scowl sat, his intricate green eyes glossy and trained on the table. His thumbs fiddled nervously in his lap, his jaw periodically tensing as his veins became distinguished against his pale white skin.

"Zachary Craig," Beca called, and he looked up, his eyes darting both ways before landing on her. "Detective Mitchell. This is Detective Bryant. We're very sorry for your loss."

"What happened?" the man croaked, his muscles tensing visibly.

"Your father was found deceased this morning in Christopher Columbus Park. Now, we would like to know if you know anyone that may have wanted to hurt your father."

"No, he - he's a UPS guy. Works in the store. Goes there, goes home. That's about it."

"Did he have any close friends that you know of?"

"Well, no, not really accept for Lee. Lee Shultz. He, uh, worked with my dad in the store, and they seemed to be pretty close, but I haven't really been around my dad lately. School's become pretty critical."

"Yeah, of course. BCU is a great school. Anyone else?"

"Well, I mean, there was only one other guy I knew of that worked with my dad. A stockholder in the company that helped run their branch's logistics. His name was like - Alan or something. I don't know, but he and my dad didn't really get along. The guy's kind of on a high horse. Knew my dad in high school and always put him down at work about his past, but like I said, I don't know too much about it."

"I'll call Jesse," Luke now offered, and Beca nodded before he vacated the room.

"So, when was the last time you saw your father?"

"About four months ago."

"Did he seem off? Maybe worried or something?"

"I don't - no. No, he didn't."

"Did you know about his prior offenses? The gambling and the lawsuit with his practice due to-"

The younger suddenly slammed his fist on the desk, his breathing rapidly becoming labored, and Beca gave him a bewildered look. His chest heaved as he tried to catch his breath. He then looked up at her, blinking a few times as if he was just waking up.

"Sorry? What?" he asked innocently.

"Uh, are you okay there, Sir? You-"

"No, I - I'm fine."

"I assume you knew then."

His eyebrows knitted now. "Yeah, I knew. He's been in trouble before, and I've seen how he gets, but - no. He was okay." He didnt sound all too convincing.

"So there was no financial strain or-"

"No. Not that I know of."

Beca raised an eyebrow at his sudden change of demeanor. "Seriously, Kid, are you cool?"

"Uh, yeah. I just - I know that my dad got in trouble. I hate hearing about it. It was something I heard about trying to get into a good school and stuff. I mean, my dad cleaned up, you know. I know he made mistakes, but he was a great father. He took care of me. I'm sorry. It's still a sore spot. Apologies, Detective."

"Hey, I get it. I do. It's okay."

"Are you - gonna find the guy who did this?"

"Yes, we will. No worries. We're good at what we do. Thank you for your time, Kid. Keep your head up."

Beca left the room and headed down to the morgue where Chloe was currently reassembling their victim, her face glowing with mirth.

"Looks like you're having fun," the brunette smirked.

"I love puzzles," the redhead returned, and Beca's face fell.

"You worry me, Doc."

"How so?"

"Don't worry about it. No need to give you something to Google."

"Did you know-"

"Probably not. So what's it look like?"

"Well, official time of death was just past midnight. 12:15 or so."

"Always so precise."

"As previously stated, it was the blow to the back of the head that did him in. As for the dismemberment, I would say that it did in fact commence in the bathroom four hours _proceeding_ his death."

"Four hours?"

"Yes, based on the bruising. No ligature marks however."

"So he was never tied up or, dragged?"

"He was dragged, judging by the scratches on the back of his legs, but he weighs about one hundred eighteen pounds."

"So it's an easy carry then?"

"For someone with some size, yes. The average male can carry carry seventy eight percent of his weight at any given time depending on his health."

"Okay, well, we're going to check out his place, see if that's our preliminary scene. Have fun with your jigsaw puzzle."

The redhead scoffed. "As if it's so difficult to lay arms and legs in their correct places."

"Well, I'm sure there's an advantage in the aerial view you get in eight - inch heels."

"These are six - inch Talia-"

"Kidding, Chlo! Bye!"

Chloe shook her head as Beca bolted from the office. "What a strange little woman."

* * *

"Okay, what do we got here?" Jesse asked as he entered the house.

"Blood spatter trajectory. The guy was definitely hit here in the kitchen. His head may have been wrapped after, and they wiped up most of it from the floor, but they missed a few splotches here. No signs of forced entry."

"So he knew them?"

"Yeah. What did you find at the guy's work?"

"Alan Timmons has an airtight alibi, but according to him, last night before closing, our vic actually had a disagreement with his friend Lee Schultz."

"Is that right?"

"Yes, something about money being borrowed and not repaid before the holiday season. On top of that, Mr. Schultz did not come in this morning, called in sick."

"Huh? Interesting. You got an address?"

"Yes, I do." Jesse handed over a slip of paper.

"Sweet. Okay, Donald, Ben, Uni, find me my murder weapons. We're gonna have a talk with Mr. Schultz."

* * *

Turned out that Mr. Schultz was a small man with thick - rimmed glasses and a twitch. His scruffy black hair was unkept and tangled in a mass of shaggy curls, and his beard was no better. Beca flashed her badge the moment the door opened, and though he seemed shocked, he moved right out of the way.

"So, Mr. Schultz," Beca sighed once the man had settled with them in the kitchen after sending his two children upstairs. "Why did you call into work today?"

"Personal day. My wife needed me."

"Tell us about your friendship with Jason Craig."

"Jason? Well, uh, he and I have worked together for six years. I mean, he - he comes over for holidays. He's a good friend of mine. We became really close over the years. We're really each other's only friends."

"Okay, so what was the argument about yesterday?"

His eyes bulged. "I beg your pardon?"

"Well, what topic was so touchy that it had you and your only friend in a heated argument before you stalked off after work?"

The man sighed now, dropping his head. "Money. He owed me some money, and - I have no money to get my kids anything for the holidays. My wife is sick. I pay for her prescriptions, and - he owed me. He keeps saying he'll pay, but it's been nine months, and I'm out of options. I - I worked out a payment plan and all, but - he hasn't made not one payment."

"Were you aware that he used to gamble? Built up a pretty lengthy debt with some bad people?"

"Well, Mr. Timmons always gives him hell about being a screw - up awhile back. I mean, he told me he had done some time in the pen, but nothing really more than that."

"How much did he owe you, Lee?"

He dropped his head once more, expelling a heavy breath. "It wasn't a small amount. I just-"

"How much?"

"Seven grand. I took it out of my trust fund I received when my father passed a few years back, but that account has dwindled. With the new super store the company just opened up, I mean, we don't get as much business as we used to."

"Wow, I need a friend like you. Did he tell you what he needed it for?"

"He said he was short paying all of the fees for his son's schooling. They covered tuition for his first year, but the scholarship didn't cover all years in whole, and the financial aide wasn't nearly enough to cover the full cost of a BCU semester with books and things like that. Plus, he got hurt just before he asked, and he lost some wages."

Beca had to refrain from snorting. "How much do you really make in a UPS store?"

"Well, we put in about eighty hours a week, sometimes take deliveries, stay overnight during the snowstorms and stuff like that. I mean, with all these little things, we make a good amount a month, especially during the holidays. Like I said though, it was money from elsewhere."

"And where were you last night after you left work? Or rather, this morning?"

"I was at the hospital until ten then I came home. There was a winter dance at the school last night. I picked up my eldest daughter Ashley at midnight, and we came home. Went to the hospital this morning when my wife had of a scare. We left here about eight."

"May I go speak to her?" Jesse now asked. "Your daughter?"

"Uh, y - yeah. Of course."

"Thank you." Jesse now moved out of the kitchen.

"So, the reason we're here, Lee, is last night at about midnight, Mr. Craig was murdered."

"M - murdered?"

"Yes, murdered, and you, Sir, have the only motive so far."

"Oh, n - no. I mean, times are tough, but I would never kill over money. Never, and - we had our spats, but - but he was my friend."

The detective scrutinized him a moment. "Did you write him a check or..."

"Yes."

"Okay, do you have proof of that?"

"Yes, of course."

"Okay, we'll need that, but first, can you just run through the argument for me please?"

* * *

**_"I have bills too, Jace! I need that money."_**

**_"Look, I know, Lee, and I swear I'm gonna pay you, but - money's just tight right now."_**

**_"It's been nine months! You've given me nothing! My kids are going to freeze and get nothing on Christmas if I don't have something! This check will barely cover utilities!"_**

**_"What about your trust-"_**

**_"Look, Lily's medical expenses aren't cheap, Jace, and I don't have to explain myself to you!"_**

**_"Look, I just- I - I don't know how I'm going to pay for Zach's school next semester, and I'm trying to work it out, but I'll get you something. I swear."_**

**_"I can't take anymore promises, Jason! I need action! I need-"_**

**_"Okay! Look, Zach's coming down tonight. I'm gonna talk to him about it. Maybe he can sacrifice a little bit."_**

**_Lee now stepped in his friend's face. "I need my money, Jace. I never would have trusted you had I known this would be the case. We're supposed to be friends! Either keep your promise, or you won't have any friends left." With that, he walked off._**

* * *

"Wow, Becs, you look like death," Angela commented subconsciously as Beca entered the cafe.

"Thank you, Angela, you look lovely today," Beca returned in a sickly sweet tone.

"She's right, you know," came the familiar melodic voice.

"You smell like death, so," Beca shot back, eyes narrowed at the redhead.

"Clever, Mitchell. Now, get your caffeine and follow me."

She took the offered coffee from Angela before following Chloe down to the morgue. They entered, Chloe quickly moving over to the now assembled body on the table.

"So stomach contents," Chloe hummed.

"Yay," Beca returned sardonically. "I'm starved."

"Yes, so my theory suggests that he had alcohol in his system based on the acidic contents of his stomach and state of his liver postmortem. I'm just waiting on the toxicology report."

"Speaking of which, are you coming over for drinks when we close this out? Ben and Jesse want to celebrate twenty-five days of Christmas with all of us together. I'll get you your wine of course."

"I'd love to. However, can you get tequila? I'm in the mood for Christmas Margaritas."

"I suppose. However, Jose and I are no longer on speaking terms, so I'll send Jesse."

"Why not?"

"Why not what?"

"Why are you and Jose not on speaking terms?"

"He makes my clothes fall off."

The doctor's eyes snapped up once more, mouth slightly agape as her cheeks flushed. "Oh, I - didn't know that - were you guys close?"

"Who?"

"You and - this Jose guy. I didn't know you knew a Jose, and I-"

The detective rolled her eyes. "Jose Cuervo, Beale. Tequila."

"Oh! Right!" She giggled nervously now. "Right, of course."

"What?"

"What?"

"Why are you all - giggly?"

Chloe froze. "I don't know what you mean."

Beca stepped closer now. "You - get all giggly when you're nervous."

"Nervous? Why would I be nervous?"

"That's what I'm asking you, Red."

"Well I just-" Chloe now registered their close proximity, and her breath hitched, her fingers fumbling the utensil in her hand. "Well, I - I'm not nervous. Not at all. I just - well."

"Hey." Beca carefully surveyed her friend a moment. "Are you okay, Red? You're a bit pale."

"Yes, I - it must be the chill air, you know. I just-"

"No, you're cheeks get rosy and stuff when it's cold out, and your eyes dull, but right now, they - look darker, like when you realize something, but you second guess yourself."

"Wow, detective, are you profiling me right now?" she smirked, attempting to change the subject.

Beca shrugged. "I'm just saying that - you can tell me, Chlo. What are you nervous about?"

Chloe only shook her head, returning her eyes to the corpse, but Beca's fingers now took her chin, steering her eyes back to meet navy blue orbs. Chloe carefully turned her body to face the brunette, gulping thickly. Her cheeks now drew some color as the brunette's fingers fell away from her face. Beca was now - leaning in? Wait, what? She had this look of concerned concentration on her face as if trying to read the redhead's mind. Chloe's breath hitched once more, but she did not move. They held one another's gaze, and everything seemed to freeze.

"I - just-" Chloe managed. "I thought that-"

"The test results are in," came another voice near the door, causing both parties to jump slightly.

Beca looked up to find Senior Criminalist Stacie Conrad entering the office, hazel green eyes behind spectacles as they gazed down at the manila folder in her hand.

"Oh, right," Chloe now squeaked, obviously flustered.

Stacie gave both of them a questioning look before handing the ME the folder.

"Thank you, Conrad, that will be all," Chloe assured her, swallowing the lump in her throat as she caught her breath. "Okay, so-

"Did you need me to go over it with you?" the taller brunette asked sweetly, Beca quirking an eyebrow at her. "I could-"

"No, that's fine," both Beca and Chloe returned.

"Thank you," the redhead offered, and Stacie shrugged, turning and vacating the room. "Okay, so his blood alcohol level was just above the legal limit. His final beverage just minutes before he was hit over the head?"

"Crown Royal and egg nog?" Beca quipped, a thoughtful look adorning her features.

Chloe looked up. "How did you know?"

"Family traditions."

"Well, yes, that was his final beverage."

"You know what? Actually, Mr. Schultz told us that Jason said he was meeting his son last night after work to talk about his schooling. He couldn't pay for BCU anymore. Yet, Zachary Craig told us that he hadn't seen his father in four months."

"Hmm, that could be an ideal motive, right?"

"Yeah, his dad wants to take him out of a good school, one he worked his ass off to get into. I know I probably wouldn't be too happy about it."

"So maybe he did see his dad last night then?"

"Well, there was no sign of forced entry, but he was definitely killed at his home. I mean, Lee Schultz seemed pretty sincere, and his daughter vouched that they arrived home just past 12:30. Either way, we have Schultz, Timmons, and Little Craig."

"Maybe you should pay him a visit."

"Yeah, he lives on campus. Come on."

Chloe's eyes bulged now. "What?"

"Come with me."

"Why?"

"Because I'm as awkward on a college campus now as I was in college. Come on. Bring your kit."

* * *

They walked into the dorm hall, following the directions given by the housing aide to Zachary Craig's dorm room. It was just past three in the afternoon, and according to the class schedule they were able to acquire, the man should be in his dorm currently before a five o' clock class. Those they had spoken to in passing, such as one professor who had Zachary, stated he was an introvert, very antisocial and quiet. Therefore, Beca wasn't the only one with reservations about the kid. They banged on the door after listening a few moments, Beca swearing she heard heavy breathing from inside as she slipped on gloves. Luke and Jesse met them there in the hall, coming down to meet them with gloves already on as well. When the first series of knocks were neglected, Luke now banged on the door, but Beca spoke before he could yell his usual greeting.

"Do _not _make a scene, Bryant," Beca now warned. "This is a college campus."

"Assertion is a gift, Mate," he replied.

"Not in this hallway, it isn't."

"Ben's downstairs," Jesse informed Beca. "I'll wait out here."

"Got it."

At last, the door opened to reveal Zach, who seemed rather red in the face as his muscles clenched. Beca stepped in front of Luke.

"Remember me, Zach?" she asked. "Detective Mitchell."

"No, I don't - yes. Yes," he replied after confusion turned to familiarity. "I - already told you all that I know. I just-"

"No, it's okay," Chloe now butted in, and Beca refrained from giving her a confused look. "We just want to talk more about your dad. We may have a lead on the man who did this to him. May we please come in, Zach?"

He smiled shyly at her but moved aside to let them in, oblivious to Beca rolling her eyes at Chloe's effect on him. Chloe patted Beca's arm as she began to survey the single dorm room, taking in every inch of it with her overly observant blue eyes. It was immediately evident that the man may have been in a rage, the room in chaos with things thrown all over the floor, a lamp broken on the floor beside the desk.

"What happened in here, Zach?" Beca asked.

"Uh, I - well, my friends and I had a few drinks last night," he managed, his jaw continuing to tense. "Some friendly wrestling."

"Huh. So you said that you haven't seen your dad in four months?"

"Yeah, studying and all got in the way."

"It's only about a fifteen-minute drive though. I mean-"

"I _said _that I was busy."

"Okay. Because your dad said that he was meeting you last night."

His eyes bulged now. "Who - said that?"

"Just a source. Was he lying?"

"Yes."

"Because he was sure that your father had planned to meet you."

"I - I mean, I was going to plan to go down, but I couldn't. Studying ran late."

"So instead, you drank with your friends?"

"Uh, yeah."

"What friends would those be?"

"Uh, they - well, they went home for break earlier."

She raised an eyebrow. "Names?"

"Well, I - uh, S-Sam Bradley, and - uh, Michael Smith."

"Michael Smith?"

"Yes."

"Do you have their numbers?"

"Uh, my phone broke."

"That's okay. Where is it? We can pull the numbers from-"

"I tossed it."

"Where?"

"Out my window." He chuckled now. "I was mad."

"Where did you toss it?"

"The - river."

"Oh, or was it the lake? Were you at a park last night?"

"Huh, no I- I - like I said, we were drunk."

"So you were driving drunk?"

"No, I mean, before we drank, we went to get- drinks."

"Oh, okay. Hey! You like crown royal? Is that your drink?"

"Huh? I don't -"

Beca now surveyed the floor again, and something poking out of the closet caught her eye. A golf driver laid haphazardly on the floor there, and a theory began to form in her head. She was unaware of the now bulging eyes of her ME as she inspected a bottle on the dresser. Beca stood up, Luke watching her closely. She moved to the closet, picking up the driver.

"You golf, Zach?"

Luke watched as the man now became red once more. "I - sometimes," he managed. "My dad and I did a lot, and I-" He turned around to face her, quickly standing. "Hey, don't touch that."

She now looked in the closet further, ignoring his demand while Luke quickly pulled out his phone, sending a text.

"Oh, are you a sword collector too?" she asked innocently.

"I - my roommate is," he managed, his fists clenched.

"Roommate? This is a single though, Zach."

"I - my old roommate in my old room. He - left those."

"Can I check it out? I love Asian weaponry myself. I have a few daggers at home."

"No, I - I would prefer you not touch them. They're worth a lot, and -"

"Oh, don't worry. I can handle it."

She now grabbed the sword from the back of the closet, and Luke quickly stood because it seemed as though Zach was ready to lunge at the small detective as he rose to his feet. She extracted the blade from its sheath.

"Ooh, a bit of rust here," she commented. "Chlo, don't you have that special stuff to rid the blade of rust?"

"Huh?" the redhead now snapped her eyes over from the bottle she was discreetly snapping pictures of. "What - stuff?"

"That spray, you know. The stuff that changes the _blade _back to its _original _color."

"Huh? Oh, yeah. Right."

She quickly opened her bag, withdrawing a small spray bottle and handing to the detective as Luke stepped closer to Zach. Beca hummed as she sprayed the clear liquid on the blade, and she quickly looked up at their suspect when she received the confirmation she needed.

"Hmm, seems there's some blood on this-"

Now Zach lunged with a roar, and Luke grabbed him, Beca's knee coming up and impacting with his gut to double him over. The blonde detective quickly cuffed him as Jesse and Benji both rushed in, receiving the standby order from Luke.

"Zachary Craig, you are under arrest for the murder of Jason Craig," Beca sighed, handing Chloe the bottle back while Luke Mirandized him.

"He - they told me to do it!" the scholar roared. "He - he was going to tear me apart first! He was - he wanted to tear my life apart like he did his! Like he did my mother's! They told me so!"

Chloe now picked up the bottle she had been entranced with, showing it to Beca. The brunette cocked her head in question, eyebrows raised expectantly.

"Prolixin," the redhead filled in. "Antipsychotic medication used to treat schizophrenia."

"Huh, so the voices told him to do it."

"That seems like the case."

"Well, case closed. Ben, bag this driver and this sword. We just need blood confirmation."

"Well, he already confessed, so it should be simple."

"Oh, yeah."

The boys escorted the man down to the patrol car while Beca awaited Chloe, who carefully placed the pill bottle in an evidence bag.

"Funny," Beca now pondered aloud. "We didn't even look at the kid's medical record."

"You really need to make a habit of that," Chloe replied seriously. "Add that to your gumshoe thing."

"My gumshoe thing?"

"Yes, your gumshoe thing."

The brunette rolled her eyes. "Right away, m'lady."

"So drinks now then? And don't worry." She patted the brunette's stomach. "We don't have to get tequila either."

Beca smirked. "Please, Beale. As if you didn't want to see my clothes fall off."

Chloe only shrugged, sauntering out of the room as Beca shook her head.

"Damn that woman," she mumbled before following.


End file.
